The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-08-18
SLEEPING WONDERS.
Feats of Some Men While in the
Arms Of Morpheus.
Falling Asleep at the Stake and
in Battle.

Falling Asleep at the Stake and
in Battle.
Sleep in most individuals lasts for the
space of eight hours. Exceptions to this
statement are numerous; whether these
arise from duty or laziness we shall not
venture to examine. Sir E. Corrington,
the famous naval officer, when midship-
man, could watch on deck for nineteen
hours; this left only five for sleep, which
in his case was most profound, so Fro
found that no noise was sufficiently
strong to waken him. Yet if the word
"signal!" was whispered in his ear he
,woke and was on deck instantly.
Reporters of the House of Commons
require great exertions to keep them
selves from sleeping. A few years ago
distinguished member of the ''gentle-
men in the gallery" took down speech
while he was sleeping. His statement
rests on his oath. Calvin tells of a
friend of reading aloud to him while
asleep. The organ of vision was alone
active.
Coleridge, the dreaming philosopher,
composed "Cubla Khan" Zone of his
poems) while fast asleep. Next morn
ing he was sure there had been an ac-
QUESTION to his literature, but was too
/ negligent to write the stanzas. A few
days afterward he attempted to recall
the verses, but they had for the most
part fed, and the poem as it now stands
is but fragment.
Every one knows that extreme fatigue
induces sleep, and this in spite of sur
rounding relations, which under ordi-
nary circumstances would hinder any
| one from resting. Previous to the short
ening of the hours of work factory chill
dren frequently fell asleep while work
ing at the machines, although well aware
that they would incur severe punishment
| by doing so. The North American In
dian, at the stake of torture, has been
known to go tosleep on the least remis-
sion of agony, and will slumber until the
| fire is applied to awaken him.
1t is on record that during the heat OF
the battle of the Nile some of the over
fatigucd boys fell asleep upon the deck,
and during the attack upon Rangoon. in
the Burmese war, the captain of one OF
the steam frigates most actively en-
| gagged, worn out by the excess of con-
tinued mental tension, fell asleep and
remained perfectly unconscious for two
hours, within yard of his largest guns,
which were being worked encrgetically
the whole period.
Habit and time, place and circum-
stances, predispose us all to sleep. The
celebrated pedestrian, Captain Barclay,
when accomplishing his extraordinary
feat of walking 1000 miles in as many
successive hours, obtained at last such a
mastery over himself that he fell aslcer
the instant he lay down. The doctors
wife never hears the door-bell during
the night, although the noise is sufficient
to rouse the wcaried husband; but should
child in the nursery cry, then the
mother, oblivious to all other sounds,
hears at once the infants voice.
1t is related that the Abbe Faria, who
acquired notoriety through his power Of
inducing somnambulism, was accustomed
merely to place his patient in an arm
chair, after telling him to shut his eyes
and collect himself, and pronounce in ;
strong voice ''dormcz," which was usu
ally successful.
There seems to be no limit to the Won
ders displayed by man in sleeping. Con
dorcet, the mathematician, solved one Of
his most difficult problems while ASLEEP
"a problem, too, which puzzled hin
during his waking hours. A professor
of theology in the University of Basil
once wrote sermon while asleep; h,
found it on his desk next morning Th
preceding night he could not grapple
with the subject as he desired, but tn
performance of his sleeping hours wa
quite satisfactory to him.
Jenny Lind was one of the most cele
brated singers of her time. No on
could rival her powers except a factor.
girl, who sang sometimes better than tn
famous Jenny. The girl could not at
tempt any difficult piece when awake
but when sleeping she sang SO correctly
so like the renowned artistic, that it wa
difficult to distinguish between thei
voices. On one occasion Mile. Lint
heard the girl, and even tested the ac
curacy of her powers by giving her loni
and elaborate chromatic exercise. Thi
the sleeping girl performed, much TO tn
wonder of the famous Swedish singer
| Ton1ou Talafrrap nh